No abstract

-The insecticidal properties of biotin-binding proteins (BBPs) have recently been exploited in transgenic plants. As BBPs have a broad spectrum of insect toxicity, their potential impacts on non-target insects such as honey bees need to be assessed. In this study, the effects of feeding a purified BBP, avidin, to honey bee larvae and adults were determined. A realistic larval dosing regime was developed by estimating the pollen content of brood food in the field and adding avidin to artificial diet at rates that simulated the presence of avidin-expressing transgenic pollen in brood food. Larval survival and development were unaffected by avidin in assays which simulated larvae receiving pollen expressing 0, 4 or 40 µM avidin at concentrations of 164 µg pollen per mg food for the first 2 days and 880 µg pollen per mg food thereafter. Food consumption and survival of adult bees were also unaffected by avidin added to pollen-candy at levels corresponding to pollen expression of 0, 6.7 or 20 µM avidin.Apis mellifera / biotin-binding protein / avidin / transgenic plant

Temperature‐response information for use in evaluating thermal discharges is often over 30 years old and in the nonpeer‐reviewed literature, especially for Round Whitefish Prosopium cylindraceum and Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis exposed to nonlethal, elevated, and variable temperatures. Egg incubation experiments on Round Whitefish collected in Lake Ontario and Lake Whitefish collected in Lake Huron were carried out from December 13, 2011, to April 7, 2012. Experimental treatments included ambient baseline control conditions as well as fixed and fluctuating (variable) temperature increases of 1, 2, 3, and 5°C above ambient baseline conditions. For both species, the window for hatching for all experimental temperature treatments was variable (range, 10–38 d for Round Whitefish and 11–44 d for Lake Whitefish), and the hatching windows tended to be greater as temperatures increased. Our results indicated that both fixed and variable incremental increases in temperature above ambient baseline conditions have a statistically significant effect on 50% hatch, and hatch occurs earlier with higher incremental temperature increases. The ecological significance of advanced hatch, such as indirect mortality and food source availability, was evaluated. Received February 19, 2013; accepted July 8, 2013

Two glasshouse trials in a capsicum crop near Warkworth New Zealand in January 2011 and two field trials in a nectarine orchard near Lleida Spain in July 2013 were undertaken to determine if trap capture of Frankliniella occidentalis (western flower thrips WFT) and Thrips tabaci (onion thrips OT) could be increased by alternative volatile compounds beyond the known thrips attractant methyl isonicotinate (MI) On blue sticky board traps in the crop in New Zealand none of six alternative compounds tested caught more thrips (mostly WFT OT and two other species) than the Control traps In contrast to MI catches with the alternative lures were mostly significantly lower For both trials in the orchard in Spain using white water traps the highest numbers of WFT and OT were caught higher than most of the nine alternative odour compounds tested

We have identified lipase-like genes from an Epiphyas postvittana larval midgut EST library. Of the 10 pancreatic lipase family genes, six appear to encode active lipases and four encode inactive lipases, based on the presence/absence of essential catalytic residues. The four gastric lipase family genes appear to encode active proteins. Phylogenetic analysis of 54 lepidopteran pancreatic lipase proteins resolved the clade into five groups of midgut origin and a sixth of non-midgut lipases. The inactive proteins formed two separate groups with highly conserved mutations. The lepidopteran midgut lipases formed a ninth subfamily of pancreatic lipases. Eighteen insect and human gastric lipases were analysed phylogenetically with only very weak support for any groupings. Gene expression was measured in the larval midgut following feeding on five artificial diets and on apple leaves. The artificial diets contained different levels of triacylglycerol, linoleic acid and cholesterol. Significant changes in gene expression (more than 100-fold for active pancreatic lipases) were observed. All the inactive lipases were also highly expressed. The gastric lipase genes were expressed at lower levels and suppressed in larvae feeding on leaves. Together, protein motif analysis and the gene expression data suggest that, in phytophagous lepidopteran larvae, the pancreatic lipases may function in vivo as galactolipases and phospholipases whereas the gastric lipases may function as triacylglycerol hydrolases.

Three species of armored scale (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) are found on kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) in New Zealand orchards: latania scale, Hemiberlesia lataniae (Signoret); greedy scale, Hemiberlesia rapax (Comstock); and oleander scale, Aspidiotus nerii (Bouché). Each of them is a quarantine pest in some of the markets to which New Zealand kiwifruit are exported. Adult females of the three species can be distinguished morphologically; however, the task is laborious when large numbers must be identified. Furthermore, it is not possible to distinguish among the immature stages. A DNA-based diagnostic using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method based on differences in the cytochrome oxidase I and II genes was developed to distinguish the three species. The test relies on the rapid isolation of amplifiable DNA by using a protease (prepGEM), followed by multiplex PCR using primers that distinguish the species at three or more nucleotide positions within cytochrome oxidase I and II, resulting in PCR products of characteristic size for each species. The test was validated in a double-blind experiment and then used to determine the relative distribution and abundance of the three species on leaves and fruit of 'Hayward' and 'Hortl6A' kiwifruit across the dominant growing regions throughout New Zealand during the 2007 season. In total, 3,418 scale insects were identified to species level: 1,904 (56%) were latania scale; 1,473 (43%) were greedy scale; and 41 (1%) were oleander scale. Since the last survey in 1988, latania scale has displaced greedy scale as the dominant species of armored scale on Hayward kiwifruit in the North Island and was found for the first time in the South Island. Only a single latania scale was found on Hortl6A fruit, consistent with previous reports of reduced rates of settlement on the fruit of this cultivar by latania scale compared with greedy scale.

Anthocyanins have diverse roles in plant reproduction and in response to both abiotic and biotic stress. By over‐expressing the apple MYB transcription factor, MYB10, we have generated apple trees, Malus × domestica Borkh. (Rosaceae), with highly pigmented red foliage due to the presence of high concentrations of cyanidin‐based anthocyanins. In this study, we investigated the impact of the high anthocyanic apple leaves on the behaviour, feeding, and life cycle parameters of the light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), a widespread herbivorous pest of apples. Behaviour of 1‐ to 3‐day‐old larvae towards red anthocyanin‐rich and green apple leaves was studied in choice and no‐choice trials, and survival, growth, and development of larvae feeding on red and green apple leaves from the neonate to pupation were compared. First‐instar E. postvittana showed a statistically significant preference for green over red leaves from three transgenic red apple lines and a preference for the less red old leaves over the bright red new leaves. This was significantly different from their behaviour towards wild type green leaves, where new leaves were selected over old. In complete darkness, first‐instar E. postvittana showed no significant preference for the green leaves, indicating that visual cues were important. Although larval survival was not greatly affected by feeding on the red foliage, larval growth and development were significantly affected by feeding on leaves from some of the transgenic red apple lines. Liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry analysis of leaf phenolics showed that both anthocyanins and quercetin glycosides were significantly raised in the red transgenic lines compared with wild types.

Host cell and virus gene expression were measured five days after per os inoculation of 3rd instar lightbrown apple moth (LBAM) larvae with the Epiphyas postvittana nucleopolyhedrovirus (EppoNPV). Microarray analysis identified 84 insect genes that were up-regulated and 18 genes that were down-regulated in virus-infected larvae compared with uninfected larvae. From the 134 viral open reading frames represented on the microarray, 81 genes showed strong expression. Of the 38 functionally identifiable regulated insect genes, 23 coded for proteins that have roles in one of five processes; regulation of transcription and translation, induction of apoptosis, and maintenance of both juvenility and actin cytoskeletal integrity. Of the 34 functionally identifiable viral genes that were most strongly expressed, 12 had functions associated with these five processes, as did a further seven viral genes which were expressed at slightly lower levels. A survey of the LBAM-expressed sequence tag library identified further genes involved in these processes. In total, 135 insect genes and 38 viral genes were analysed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Twenty-one insect genes were strongly up-regulated and 31 genes strongly down-regulated. All 38 viral genes examined were highly expressed. These data suggest that induction of apoptosis and regulation of juvenility are the major 'battlegrounds' between virus and insect, with the majority of changes observed representing viral control of insect gene expression. Transcription and translational effects seem to be exerted largely through modulation of mRNA and protein degradation. Examples of attempts by the insect to repel the infection via changes in gene expression within these same processes were, however, also noted. The data also showed the extent to which viral transcription dominated in the infected insects at five days post inoculation.